How Sweet It Is
by Pocket Full Of Dreams
Summary: My oneshots have morphed into a series! Derek and Penelope's journey to their new family. :
1. Chapter 1

I decided to continue this little string of fics I had and make it a bit of a series! This is the latest installment in Penelope and Derek's lives. I decided that the two other fics go together- Puzzle Pieces obviously goes first and then Late Night Surprises is the second. There are references to both in this fic; they serve as sort of prequels. Well, actually, Puzzle Pieces would be the prequel, and then Late Night Surprises is the first chapter.

Moving on, I hope you enjoy this installment! Please read and review, dear reader. :)

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><p>It was a sunny morning; that much was certain, Derek thought as he opened his eyes. Even through the blinds on the window, and even though it was early, the beams were streaming through, pink and orange and yellow, as the sun finished its journey to the top of the sky. There was minute shifting of his arms before he slid them from around Penelope's waist, kissing her temple before getting out of bed. He crossed a little sleepily to the window and pulled open the blinds. The sunlight went straight to the bed. "Rise and shine, babygirl," he said in her favorite scratchy morning voice.<p>

She groaned, putting her head under her pink pillow. "Five more minutes…"

Derek chuckled. "You know we can't do that; you get to go in late enough because of our bun in the oven and I get to go in late because you need help, but we have to be on time." He walked back to the bed and gently removed the pillow from his wife's head.

She pouted, eyes still stubbornly closed. "But I'm sleeping for two."

"You're doing _everything _for two, you strong, beautiful woman," Derek agreed, running his hands up and down her arms. "But we have to go to work to provide for our baby, don't we?"

Penelope groaned and sat up, using the bed and Derek as necessary assistance. "I suppose you're right," she grumbled, scooting to the edge of the bed. Derek pulled her up by the hands, close enough that their foreheads were touching. She finally smiled. "Hi."

He smiled back. "Hi." He pecked her lips, then bent down to Penelope's stomach. "And hi to you, too," Derek added, leaning his forehead onto the swell of it before lifting the front hem of her shirt to lavish kisses all over her belly. Penelope giggled. They both disregarded the map of scars and bruises that marred Penelope's otherwise flawless skin.

"I wonder what they look like," she pondered, the smile still on her face. Derek raised his eyes over her stomach. "The baby, I mean," she clarified.

Derek straightened. "I'm sure you could just ask Reid when we get to the BAU," he said, half-joking. Penelope snorted. "Come on, babygirl. What do you want for breakfast? I'll make it while you get ready."

"Eggs, toast, chocolate milk. I guess the cocoa wasn't enough for the baby last night." Penelope smiled down at her hands, folded on her stomach. She kissed Derek's cheek. "Thank you." Passing him, she walked to the closet, scanning the rack of extremely eye-catching maternity clothes she'd found at a funky shop on the outskirts of Quantico. Derek smiled and shook his head, walking out of the room and towards the kitchen, turning the TV onto the news as he passed the couch.

The current story was of a couple who had gotten together under the most unlikely of circumstances and their upcoming wedding in a local church. Derek's thoughts turned to his and Penelope's relationship and its beginnings as he beat the eggs. Pouring them into the pan, he remembered the moments that they had always shared together ever since they had met, all of which had led up to the night Penelope got shot. Derek clenched his hands briefly around the handle of the pan, an involuntary response to the anguish and rage he had felt when he had been notified of what had happened. He remembered listening to the frantic message left by the usual calm and collected Dr. Spencer Reid in the driver's seat of his car. He remembered dropping the cell phone on the floor at the words "in surgery; no one knows if she'll be okay." He remembered screaming before collapsing onto the steering wheel into sobs that wracked his body for twenty-three minutes exactly before breaking all speed limits on the way to the hospital, courtesy of the police light stashed in the glove compartment. He was ashamed of himself for spending so much time in his car and not using it to rush to his baby girl's side. Derek had never told anyone, not even Penelope, what had occurred in the driver's seat of his car that night.

He remembered seeing her in the hospital bed, hurting and scared and traumatized beyond belief. He remembered never going home, only leaving to go to the BAU and spend hours in his office, trying to track down the psychopath that had done the crime when he wasn't sitting vigilant by her bedside. He remembered taking Penelope home from the hospital and spending all those nights on that couch. Most of all, he remembered going after _Jason Clark Battle_- the name put a bad taste in his mouth- and coming back to find Penelope, his baby girl, quivering in the corner, terrified. It was then that he had realized how he truly felt, that his feelings were not simply those of a close friend- that they were those of someone who loved another more than their own life.

Derek idly trailed the fork through the eggs in the pan. That realization had only intensified the night Derek removed the bandages from Penelope's wound. The nightmares had brought her to the point where she could no longer sleep alone, and as they settled into bed that night in their usual position, Penelope spoke up. "Why do you keep doing this?"

Derek shifted slightly to look at her. "Doing what?"

Penelope traced a hand lightly across his stomach, absentmindedly. "All of this." She paused to look up at him, her eyes finding his. "You take care of me like no one else ever would," she said simply. There was a temporary silence between the two of them. "What happened earlier today… that doesn't happen between people that are 'just friends…'" Penelope took a deep, slow, careful breath, trying to steady herself. She wasn't sure she was ready to broach this topic, but it was too late now. She could see the realization on Derek's face of where this conversation was going. "Derek." He refocused. "Why do you?"

He couldn't find the words to answer her at first, looking intensely into her eyes as he opened and closed his mouth like a very frustrated fish. Finally, he thought of the proper words to begin. "Babygirl, I have known since the first day that we met when you didn't whoop my ass for calling you names that you would be an amazing girl." A pleasant blush and a giggle from Penelope at this. "Instead of just being that amazing girl that I was expecting, you became the most important person in my life without even trying." Penelope stopped giggling, her mouth opening with a small gasp. "I would do absolutely anything for you, and for a while, I told myself it was because I was incredibly blessed to have such an amazing friend. But then that night when you got sho- when you got hurt… I couldn't deal with it…" For the second time that night, Penelope Garcia watched Derek Morgan slowly break down.

"When I held you in the corner of the room next door after that bastard got away… I knew," Derek managed to get out, emotion choking him slightly. "I knew that if I let you get hurt, if you ever…" He couldn't get through the rest of the words. Penelope, shocked, brought her hand to his neck as he buried his face in the top of her head, sobbing. Tears of her own traced rivers down her face, tears of disbelief and shock, but utter happiness, because…

"Does that mean you love me?" The bravery in the things she was asking was really quite a shock to Penelope; she wanted to kick herself and suck the words back into her mouth before he could process them, but it was already far too late. She tilted her head back up to watch him slowly pull his face from her hair. She refused to break her gaze, boring into his, even as he leaned his face down to rest his forehead on hers, closing his eyes. She found herself closing hers as well as his breath hit her eyelids. She waited.

"_Yes_," he had breathed.

"Derek! _Derek!_"

He snapped out of it in a second, his very pregnant wife snatching the pan out of his hands. "What?"

"The eggs were just about to burn." Penelope gave him a look. "What were you thinking about?"

"Us," he replied. "The first time I told you I love you."

Penelope's face lit up in her grin. "Really?"

Derek chuckled. "Really, really. The night our journey to this little nugget began." His hand rested on Penelope's stomach between them. They smiled at each other for a moment before Penelope playfully pushed him out of the kitchen.

"Obviously, you can't handle breakfast. Go get dressed, honey." With a kiss to her temple, Derek obediently left, his hand slowly trailing off of Penelope's stomach. His future. _Their _future. He couldn't wait to face it with her.


	2. Chapter 2

I am so sorry, dear readers! Life has been very busy and still is, but I finally got through the last part of this chapter. I am terribly sorry for my very long absence. Consider this a Thanksgiving gift, which really only makes sense for my American readers, but anyways... ;)

I was headed in a completely different direction, but my muse told me otherwise, so here is the newest installment in my little story. I hope you like it! :D

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><p>"I'm beginning to hate elevators," Penelope grumbled as Derek helped her through the doors.<p>

"Oh, yeah? Why's that, babygirl?" Derek smirked, knowing that a sassy, slightly grumpy answer was sure to follow.

"Yes, they take people places quicker and easier, but they also give heavily pregnant women the worst dizzy spells," Penelope replied quickly in typical, agitated-Penelope fashion, leaning more heavily on Derek's supportive arm.

There was another ding of an elevator behind them. "You know, you should go see your doctor about that; it could be a sign that you aren't resting or eating sufficiently for yourself and the baby." Dr. Spencer Reid appeared by Penelope's side, one hand on his leather bag's strap, as usual, while he began to spout information like a fountain, as usual. "Do you know how many pregnant women are prescribed bedrest every year? Nearly seven hundred thousand. That's probably what the doctor would prescribe you, too, since there's so much stress in your profession here in the BAU, and- ow!" Derek had reached up behind Penelope's back and smacked the back of the young genius' head. It hurt, even though Reid had, once again, grown out his hair, simply because he just didn't care enough to get it cut. He had better things to do, like read Russian encyclopedias in two hours and complete case files because JJ always gave him hers to do. The blonde woman happened to be walking by at that very moment. Reid pointed at a yet-again smirking Derek as she passed. "JJ, he hit me again!"

Jennifer Jareau tossed her head over her shoulder to respond with the words that had become a running joke within their team: "Boys, behave, or I will ground you both." She stopped to walk alongside the other members of her team, nudging Reid aside to tap Penelope's hand with slim fingers. "How are you feeling this morning, baby mama?"

"Ask again later," Penelope groaned, putting her hand to her stomach. JJ, sympathetic to her cause, as she'd been there before, reached ahead and opened the glass doors to the main office for her, and Derek gently towed her through. As usual, it was alive and bustling with activity. The BAU was always busy, working to keep the country safe in its own way. With a sympathetic look to Garcia, JJ stopped as the small group passed her desk, dropping a load of papers on top and sitting down.

The others continued, Reid babbling about things that could help Penelope feel better while Morgan focused on getting Penelope to her office. When they reached the technology-laden room, Penelope sat in her chair slowly, settling into the familiar space that was undeniably, uniquely hers. She unconsciously lay a hand on her stomach, trying to calm the sea of nausea and the baby, who was kicking and flipping like crazy within her. "Derek," she groaned, but he didn't know what to do.

"Garcia, what exactly are you feeling?" Reid asked, leaning forward with his cup of coffee. His hair fell into his eyes as he peered a little anxiously into his friend's face.

Penelope rattled off the symptoms: headache, dizziness, nausea. Reid frowned. "This stuff should have passed, for the most part, after your first trimester. You should go see your doctor."

"Reid, I know you're smart and everything, but Garcia's had enough doctors to last a lifetime," Morgan said to the young genius.

"No, he's right," Penelope interjected. "I should. I'm eight months pregnant. I shouldn't be feeling this way everyday." Morgan shot her a look. "I'll just do a little work here and then I'll go."

"I don't want you going without me," Derek tried to start, but Penelope raised a hand gingerly.

"And I don't want you abandoning your team. Don't worry. I'll be fine." She smiled at him, and eventually, he smiled back. She nudged him with the hand that wasn't resting on her belly. "Go on, honey. I'll be fine." And with a trademark Penelope Garcia wink, she turned on her system and began working away. Derek pressed a kiss to her temple before leaving her office with Reid, heading to the briefing room where the rest of their team was waiting.

"Morning," Emily Prentiss greeted them, barely looking up from the case file she held. Her recent return to the BAU had left everyone overjoyed and confused, and although it had been a month, they were still having trouble adjusting to her suddenly-back-to-normal presence. Derek had adjusted better after some time spent alone with her, talking it over to try and understand what had happened and why. Reid, on the other hand, was still experiencing a lot of difficulty readjusting to her return. As she greeted him, his eyes twitched momentarily, and he turned his head slightly away. He knew she wasn't looking.

David Rossi paused in the doorway just as Derek was settling into his chair. "Good morning!" he greeted the room cheerfully, a white mug in his hand. He strolled into the room, sitting between Morgan and Prentiss. He turned to Derek. "How's Garcia doing?"

Derek exhaled. "She's not feeling so well right now, even though she felt alright this morning. She said she's going to the doctor later."

At that moment, JJ and Aaron Hotchner- Hotch- strode in. Hotch crossed the room and swiftly took a seat without saying anything but a short "hello" to the team. JJ stood at the front of the room beside the projector screen. She began to tell them about the case, but Derek wasn't really paying much attention. He was thinking about Garcia and their child, thinking about their health and how they were feeling. It was only when JJ said "Cincinnati" that he snapped out of it. "Cincinnati? What?"

JJ looked at him, confused. "Yes. Cincinnati. That's where the murders are happening. We're going to leave today; the police really need us." Derek looked panic-stricken.

"Are you feeling alright?" Emily asked, the case file forgotten as she stared at her friend.

Hotch rose from his chair. "Wheels up in twenty," he said, moving to leave.

"Wait a minute." Their leader turned back around to the table, where Derek still sat. "Garcia's sick. She's going to the doctor later. I have to be with her; I can't just leave."

"You can, and you will. She can call you after her appointment. We need you on this case, Morgan. It's important," Hotch replied, no change in his expression.

There was a pause. "I'm not going," Derek said quietly, looking Hotch in the eye. He was quiet, but not soft in his words. He was firm, and it was clear to everyone that he would not budge from his decision.

"Then you're on probation until we get back." Leaving a silent, stunned team in his wake, Aaron Hotchner turned almost coldly on his heel and stormed out of the room. JJ caught Prentiss' eye, and the two of them followed after him.

Derek sat at the table, silently fuming, but also slightly saddened. Hotch had never acted this way toward him before, and it was very strange that he would out of the blue. As he was a profiler, he knew there had to be a reason why Hotch's behavior had changed so drastically. Rossi looked contemplative, and Reid wore the look on his face that always appeared before he voiced something important.

"I've been waiting for something like that to happen for five months," the young man finally proclaimed quietly. Rossi and Morgan turned to look at him, shocked. "He's been getting exceedingly colder to you for a while. He hasn't called you by your first name in over two months, and he doesn't change expression when he looks at you." Reid paused for a moment, then continued with his observations at the same rapid-fire speed at which he normally spoke. "He hasn't spoken to Garcia in four months. He avoids her office at all costs, and if we need information on someone, he makes someone else call her. He doesn't mention her name at all, even though he used to." He allowed those words to sink in for a moment, and then, in an instant, they all understood.

"How did I not see it before?" asked Rossi, looking at his two team mates in awe. "It's been right in front of us for months!"

Derek couldn't speak or acknowledge either of them, even though they waited in silence for him to speak, as was his right. He couldn't believe how clear the signs had been and how stupid he had to have been to not notice. _No, not stupid, _his mind corrected him. _Distracted._

Reid opened his mouth to speak again when someone appeared in the doorway, a bright purple dress and a neon yellow sweater obscuring the view of the office. "What's going on?" asked Penelope Garcia, one hand on her stomach.

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><p>Did anyone get the bedrest line reference? If you did, one thousand Internet points and a steaming tray of cookies to you! If not, ask a big Criminal Minds fan- they should be able to explain it to you. :)<p>

Before Hotch fans descend upon me in anger, I promise that all is not as it seems. You will see in the next installment. Please review if you can- thank you very much!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, y'all! Welcome back to How Sweet It Is, though it isn't quite sweet right now. This is the third chapter (really the fifth installment) in our story, and we arrive back in the conference room with Reid, Rossi, Morgan, and a certain brightly-dressed mom-to-be. Enjoy!**

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><p>Reid and Rossi still had their eyes on Morgan, waiting for him to say something. Morgan stared at Garcia in the doorway. He was still completely mute. Garcia stood there, passing her gaze from one man to the next, eyes suspicious. "Uh-huh," she finally said, a usual remark of hers. "Well, I have this folder here for JJ, and I need to know where she is. I thought she was in here, but…"<p>

Derek swiftly stood. "I'll give it to her, baby girl. Do you need help getting back to your office?" He walked over, and the folder slipped from her hands to his.

Her eyes regarded him with the same suspicious air. "Something's going on. What?" She tried to step into the room past him, but her balance was off, and she nearly tumbled to the floor before Derek caught her and gently pulled her back upright.

"What's going on? I'm walking my wife back to her office, where she'll stay until her doctor's appointment so she doesn't hurt herself or our child. Then, I'm going to go take her to the doctor's office so she and our baby can feel better." He took her arm and started escorting her down the hallway.

They were halfway there before Penelope spoke up. "Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be going to Cincinnati today? That's what the folder's for; JJ asked for old records on a case there, and…" She gasped as the pieces fit together. "You need to leave! The plane's leaving in, like, twenty minutes!" Garcia started having a mild panic moment, urging Derek to leave her be and to get his things together. Morgan waited a full minute before cutting in.

"Garcia!" Her mouth snapped shut as they walked under the doorway of her office for the second time that day. "Baby girl, I'm not going. You need me. The baby needs me. The team can live without me for one case." _Especially Hotch, _his mind grumbled.

"You're not missing cases because of me!" his wife retorted, defiant. She sat in her chair, refusing to let Derek assist her. "Your ass will be on that plane with the rest of the team whether you like it or not!" She turned her back to him, furiously typing on her keyboard. "And if you're not on that plane with them, I will get another one by hacking into Delta Airlines and getting you a private one!"

Derek leaned over the back of the chair and lightly gripped her forearms. "Stop it." She turned her head to look at him, her mouth set in a firm line, but once his eyes met hers, she relented. "How well do you know me?" he asked her, not breaking his gaze.

"Better than anyone else," Penelope immediately replied, a little breathlessly.

"Then you know I'm doing this because I know it's the right thing to do," Derek said, bringing a hand to her cheek. "This baby isn't just yours. It's mine, too, and I need to take as much responsibility as you."

She closed her eyes. "Fine," she conceded with a groan. "But as soon as the doctor's appointment is over, you're going to Cincinnati with the rest of them." Derek didn't have the heart- or the bravery- to tell her that he'd been suspended until his team returned, so he didn't respond. Smiling slightly, Penelope leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Go on, get. I have work to do, and I'm sure you do, too. Last time I was in your office, you had more reports to do than JJ." Derek groaned, but kissed her temple and left, heading towards his desk. A tall stack of case files perched on the far corner, forgotten on purpose. Derek sat down in his chair, eyed the stack, and then pulled it towards him, almost losing the top few in transit. He was only halfway done reading through the first file when someone interrupted him.

"Uh, Morgan?" He looked up from the dull file.

"What, pretty boy?" he answered, looking the young man in the face.

"Do you want me to try and talk some sense into Hotch while we're in Cincinnati? He doesn't have a reason to suspend you. I read the handbook through while you were talking to Garcia. He can't just-"

"Hold up, Reid. You read the entire handbook to check? I'm flattered but that's impossible; I was only with Penelope for-" Derek checked his watch. "-five minutes."

Reid just nodded. "Yeah. Five minutes. I skipped over the publication notes. Anyways, I know it probably won't change his mind, but it's been proven that suggestion can change someone's mind as long it's presented in the proper mindset, so I think that if-"

Derek held up a hand. "Reid, I appreciate it, but we both know that nothing is going to change unless I talk to him myself."

"And even then, it's an incredibly small chance." Derek glared at him. "Sorry! Just being realistic," Reid apologized quickly. He held out his hand. "I better bring that folder to JJ. We're leaving in twelve minutes." Derek handed it over, rubbing his forehead with the other hand. Reid looked down at Derek in his chair. "Hotch will get over it. It's just going to take time, and with Hotch's alpha male personality type, it will be longer than normal. Jealousy is a natural phenomenon, and-"

"Reid. This is more than just a jealousy thing, and you know that." He held a firm gaze with the young genius. "Go catch your plane, pretty boy. Let me know how the case goes, alright?" Reid nodded and left. Derel sighed and went back to the case file. _Murders seem to have occurred based on past experiences with the killer. Each is killed according to the action or reason for their death, _the case file read. _So does that mean Hotch is going to kill me with a wedding ring and a baby toy? _Derek thought to himself, chuckling darkly under his breath. He flipped the page with an angry air, not noticing the footsteps coming from behind him. A chin settled on his shoulder.

"Hey, stranger." Penelope tipped her head closer to his, reading over his shoulder. "'Death by blow to head with baseball bat and pieces of baseball glove stuffed down throat?' Why wasn't the bat enough?" She was disgusted, as usual, with the darkest parts of the BAU's investigation.

"What are you doing out of your chair, babygirl?" asked Derek, putting the file down out of distraction for the second time in a three minute period and turning to his wife. "What's gotten into you today?"

Penelope bit her lip. "I'm restless. Don't know why. Couldn't sit still in my chair, and wheeling around in it just didn't do the trick." He gave her a look. "What? It was safe, I went slow, don't worry. Me and baby are perfectly fine." She smiled at her husband. A shadow settled over both of them.

"What are you doing out of your office, Garcia?" asked a quiet, cold, emotionless voice. The couple looked up to find Aaron Hotchner looming over them, briefcase in hand. "You don't belong out here."

Penelope looked shocked; after all, it was the first time he'd spoken to her in months, so it took her a moment to gather herself. "I was getting restless, sir. The baby's really-" His face went pale at the mention of her child.

"You know what? I don't care. Get back to your office, that's an order, or you'll be suspended, too," Hotch retorted quickly and harshly, refusing to look either of them in the eye.

Derek felt the rage in him boil over as Hotch glared at the air above their heads. "Suspended? Derek's not suspended!" Penelope said, but Morgan could barely hear her. He slammed his fists down on his desk and stood up, drawing the attention of several nearby workers.

"What the hell is your problem, Hotch? What have Penelope and I done to you that's so bad that you can't even look us in the eye anymore?" Derek was yelling, but that was beyond his concern at the moment.

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied Hotch quietly, emotionless.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. All of us know exactly what the problem is, but you won't say anything about it. It's gone too far, Hotch! You need to stop being angry with us for this!" Hotch froze.

Penelope had no idea what to say, mainly because everything her husband was saying made no sense to her. She wasn't a profiler, and even though she observed people just as much as her husband and his team did, she knew that she would never be able to gain as much insight from someone as the team could. She assumed quickly that the team knew something she didn't about Hotch's behavior. She stepped forward, a hand on her stomach. "What's going on?" she asked quietly and calmly in the space of the momentary silence between the two men.

Hotch saw her move through of his peripheral vision, her hand on her stomach, just like what he saw in his memories so often. It was in that instant that he buckled over. An agonizing cry flew from his mouth. Derek had heard this before, the same as the day when he had found his superior bloodied atop a cruel killer who had stolen Hotch's life away. That day and today, Derek dragged him off as he let loose the same howl, just as anguished, defeated, and destroyed.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter- I promise a new one will come just as soon as I can write it! Let me know what you think!<strong>


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